Kim Clijsters

Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a retired professional tennis player from Belgium.

She achieved remarkable success on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. Clijsters held the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles for 20 weeks. She also reached the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles for 4 weeks. In 2003, she held both of these top rankings at the same time. Throughout her career, she won 41 singles titles and 11 doubles titles. Her major victories included four singles majors and two doubles majors. She achieved her doubles major titles while partnering with Ai Sugiyama.

Clijsters utilized a unique and highly athletic style of play. She built her offensive game around a concept called controlled aggression. This means she played with power while maintaining careful control. She also used exceptional movement to become an elite defensive player. Fans often watched her perform splits on the court during active points. This flexibility helped her reach difficult shots and stay in rallies. Her athleticism was a defining feature of her professional identity. Because of her character, she won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award eight times.

Her athletic foundation came from her highly accomplished parents. Her mother, Els Vandecaetsbeek, was a Belgian national artistic gymnastics champion. Her father, Lei Clijsters, was a professional soccer defender. He played for several clubs in the Belgian First Division. He also earned 40 caps for the Belgium national soccer team. He competed in two World Cups and won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1988. To celebrate this victory, he built a clay tennis court at home.

This gift helped spark her fixation on the sport.

Clijsters began an intense training regimen at a very young age. By age nine, she worked with coach Benny Vanhoudt in Diest. She trained for 15 hours every week during this period. This schedule included five hours of individual instruction. She later worked with coaches Carl Maes and Wim Fissette. Her junior career showed great promise on the international stage. In 1993, she won the Belgian Junior Championships in doubles. She won the 12-and-under singles event at the same tournament a year later.

Her professional journey was marked by both rapid rises and significant challenges. She began competing professionally in 1997. In 1999, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. She faced legendary rivals like Serena Williams and Justine Henin. Clijsters helped Belgium win its first Fed Cup crown in 2001. However, she also faced many setbacks in major tournaments. She lost all of her first four major singles finals. She finally broke through to win her first major at the 2005 US Open.

One of the most famous aspects of her career was her comeback. Clijsters retired in 2007 at age 23. She chose to retire to get married and have a daughter. She returned to the sport two years later in 2009. She stunned the tennis world by winning the US Open as an unranked player. This happened in only her third tournament back. In 2011, she won the Australian Open. This victory made her the first mother to be ranked world No. 1.

She co-holds the record for most major singles titles won as a mother.

Clijsters's legacy is cemented in the history of the sport. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.

Her career demonstrated that professional success can follow significant life changes. She proved that Belgium could be a leading force in women's tennis. Her ability to balance offensive aggression with elite defense changed how players approached the game. She remains a celebrated figure for her skill and her sportsmanship.